Joe Biden 2021

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

ACCOUNTABILITY FIRST!

 

CAMP FIRE SONGS LATER!

[LurkingHorn 1044]

4 minutes ago, TXSG8R said:

Unity benchmark reporter round two asking Biden directly. She’s from WaPo. 

What an eye roll. And the Biden of course gives her about a 5-minute answer which, I thought, was good. Maybe she'll shut up now. 

[lemonlime 5503]

12 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

You failed to use the sarcasm font, dammit.  And my meter needs adjusting.

However, I find this reportage annoying.  Relentless reporting of these trivial "outrages" went a long way to helping Trump successfully accuse the media of being unfair or untruthful later on in his presidency.  The breathless early reporting of false or minor outrages dulled people to the outrages that were ongoing and upcoming.

Apart from Biden or Trump, as you are probably aware, there is a lot of ascribing of character traits based on timepiece that goes on, and it's absurd.  I like watches.  But I get that it's just a watch.

That said, Biden's DJ shows that he is a solid regular dude with decent taste, while Trump's Patek shows that he is a grimy pimp.

The only character traits that can possibly be discerned from the nonsense watch controversy are (1) that Biden was wearing his dead son who served in the military's watch at his inauguration, instead of putting his children in charge of Middle East peace talks and managing Covid vaccination, and (2) the morons who have more to say about Biden's watch than Trump making a coup attempt.

[LurkingHorn 1044]

Fox's Doocy tries to get in a loaded question which Biden easily rebuts. Dude keeps looking for his gotcha moment. Bosses are not going to be happy if he keeps missing. 

[Satchel 6908]

In other news, the Harriet Tubman $20 bill is back on the table.

[Red Five 40661]

15 minutes ago, Satchel said:

In other news, the Harriet Tubman $20 bill is back on the table.

That feels like 30 years ago. 

[jimmyjazz 45557]

I always enjoy the watch talk.  A watch any better than a Seiko is something I'm utterly uninterested in purchasing, but that's only because my phone tells me everything I need to know.  It's just not my thing.

I'm pretty sure most guys who happily drop $5K on a watch would look at me like I'm from Mars if I dropped $5K on a guitar.  Different strokes.  Joe Biden can wear whatever the hell he wants on his wrist.

[Bama Chick 28596]

This makes me happy.

[TwiceHorn 31273]

3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I always enjoy the watch talk.  A watch any better than a Seiko is something I'm utterly uninterested in purchasing, but that's only because my phone tells me everything I need to know.  It's just not my thing.

I'm pretty sure most guys who happily drop $5K on a watch would look at me like I'm from Mars if I dropped $5K on a guitar.  Different strokes.  Joe Biden can wear whatever the hell he wants on his wrist.

i get it entirely.  I have always been fascinated by machines.  Which would include guitars.  Unfortunately, I can't do anything with a guitar except look at it and try to understand why good ones are better than bad ones.  My fascination with watches barely includes quartz watches though.  Gotdam electronics.

[Js1 85109]

Not quite tan suit but pretty good

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by Js1

[TexasEd 8064]

37 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Not quite tan suit but pretty good

 

Looks like a toasted Q.  Is that the controversy?

 

[TexasEd 8064]

Uhhh, this watch looks better 

and is more manly than this watch

 

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by TexasEd

[Js1 85109]

4 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

Uhhh, this watch looks better 

and is more manly than this watch

 

 

No wonder he has little hands. They atrophied from lack of blood flow 

[TexArcher 37508]

4 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm pretty sure most guys who happily drop $5K on a watch would look at me like I'm from Mars if I dropped $5K on a guitar.  Different strokes.

I wouldn't trade my $1k Taylor for any watch on the planet.

[Bookman 4610]

If I were Biden I'd wear a tan suit with a bicycle helmet while putting my feet on a desk using Dijon mustard.

Maybe after the midterms.

[TexasEd 8064]

8 minutes ago, Bookman said:

If I were Biden I'd wear a tan suit with a bicycle helmet while putting my feet on a desk using Dijon mustard.

Maybe after the midterms.

He still couldn't do it while being black.  

 

[Sawbonz 27429]

9 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

He still couldn't do it while being black.  

 

[pyrohornIII 4809]

[Dbeasy 14969]

I know everyone is basking in the awesomeness of Trump no longer occupying the White House, however I wish Biden’s staff would have handled some of these executive orders better.
 

While it’s great that he’s moved quickly  and decisively to take action on multiple items, it would have been much more effective to space some of them out just a bit and execute a communications campaign articulating the rationale for the order, including explaining why the Trump policy was bad for America. 
 

For example, his order to freeze the Trump executive order on drug prices makes it look like he’s in the back pocket of the drug industry, when I think the actual reason was because the Trump executive order was unenforceable nonsense. Now we have millions of elderly people thinking Biden just took something away from them that was really really important, reinforcing the Fox propaganda they already see every night on TV. 

I’ll  say it until I’m blue in the face - if the Democrats don’t figure out how to communicate and message more effectively, their reign will be a major struggle. 

[Js1 85109]

He froze every pending regulation to review them for legality and practicality. I think you’re nit picking. 

[TwiceHorn 31273]

3 minutes ago, Js1 said:

He froze every pending regulation to review them for legality and practicality. I think you’re nit picking. 

He's right that they bungled the drug EO and played right into the hands of Trumpists and disingenuous GOPers.

https://djhjmedia.com/rich/biden-kills-trump-executive-orders-designed-to-lower-drug-prices-for-americans-including-insulin/

[immamac 42518]

I agree with dbeasy here. When he signed the EO for Buy American, as a very well informed voter and person who actually reads policy I had 0 fucking idea what was going on. Couldn't find the EO language and had to resort to a blurb about some nonsense on Joe Bidens website. 

I still don't really know what the fuck it means or does and that is from a highly engaged person with a degree in Political Science. How the fuck is anyone else going to get it? Depending on news organizations and blogs about your stuff is how we got to trumpism, stop letting others control the message or frame it. Be deliberate in why and explain to everyone what the administration thinks is the problem they are solving by introducing it. If I can understand the problem really well then connecting the dots to the solution is much easier. 

[Js1 85109]

Just now, immamac said:

I agree with dbeasy here. When he signed the EO for Buy American, as a very well informed voter and person who actually reads policy I had 0 fucking idea what was going on. Couldn't find the EO language and had to resort to a blurb about some nonsense on Joe Bidens website. 

I still don't really know what the fuck it means or does and that is from a highly engaged person with a degree in Political Science. How the fuck is anyone else going to get it? Depending on news organizations and blogs about your stuff is how we got to trumpism, stop letting others control the message or frame it. Be deliberate in why and explain to everyone what the administration thinks is the problem they are solving by introducing it. If I can understand the problem really well then connecting the dots to the solution is much easier. 

Are you gonna lobby Psaki for a surly press pass? We could send a few interesting characters to ask questions 

[immamac 42518]

Just now, Js1 said:

Are you gonna lobby Psaki for a surly press pass? We could send a few interesting characters to ask questions 

My view on the press briefing should be that it is clarification only, not a planning session or an open feedback forum from the media. It should be a fucking briefing. 

Right now there is too much squishy stuff and slippery politician talk that is completely open to interpretation because in the briefing room they aren't being specific about problems they are attempting to fix and what they are trying to do to implement those fixes. 

If it stays in today's clown show format then surly should absolutely get a pass and ask awesome questions.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

26 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I know everyone is basking in the awesomeness of Trump no longer occupying the White House, however I wish Biden’s staff would have handled some of these executive orders better.
 

While it’s great that he’s moved quickly  and decisively to take action on multiple items, it would have been much more effective to space some of them out just a bit and execute a communications campaign articulating the rationale for the order, including explaining why the Trump policy was bad for America. 
 

For example, his order to freeze the Trump executive order on drug prices makes it look like he’s in the back pocket of the drug industry, when I think the actual reason was because the Trump executive order was unenforceable nonsense. Now we have millions of elderly people thinking Biden just took something away from them that was really really important, reinforcing the Fox propaganda they already see every night on TV. 

I’ll  say it until I’m blue in the face - if the Democrats don’t figure out how to communicate and message more effectively, their reign will be a major struggle. 

It did not help that drug company price increases went into effect on January 1st and that also played into the hands of that propaganda messaging on Fox. Part of a good playbook is anticipating the flea flicker and calling the audible. Democratic administrations need to see that coming and prep for it with the truth and keep it simple, which goes along with @immamac's point about a press briefing. Keep it brief and to the point and hammer the message/truth home both in delivery and response.

[Dbeasy 14969]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

He froze every pending regulation to review them for legality and practicality. I think you’re nit picking. 

One would think that is nitpicking, but have you not noticed over the last four years that our population is so dumb that all that ever matters is the headline?
 

The posters in the Cloak room who read information, search for detail, etc represents probably less than 10% of the population. The 90%+ operate off tweets, headlines, and clickbait to form their opinions. Trump figured that out. The Democrats continue to struggle with that idea. 

[TwiceHorn 31273]

21 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

One would think that is nitpicking, but have you not noticed over the last four years that our population is so dumb that all that ever matters is the headline?
 

The posters in the Cloak room who read information, search for detail, etc represents probably less than 10% of the population. The 90%+ operate off tweets, headlines, and clickbait to form their opinions. Trump figured that out. The Democrats continue to struggle with that idea. 

Yep.  Even that article I posted acknowledges in the body that Biden just "froze" that EO and that it is of very limited scope in the first place. And there are dozens more like it on the alt-right/Trumpy intergoogles.

[Bateshorn 9899]

2 hours ago, Js1 said:

He froze every pending regulation to review them for legality and practicality. I think you’re nit picking. 

This is correct.  Every Administration IMMEDIATELY freezes whatever the previous administration was working on, pending review. It's SOP. Trump did exactly the same thing, as did Obama, Bush, and Clinton.  People are nitpicking.  You don't just let something as big as a drug pricing rewrite go forward without looking under the hood.

Regarding the $20:  It's ironic, but keeping Andrew Jackson on fiat money is the most disgraceful thing you could do to his legacy.  He hated it.  Anyone who argues he should be honored by having his face on money is either ignorant or a disingenuous ass looking to pick a culture war fight.  Or both.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Bateshorn

[Js1 85109]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

Yep.  Even that article I posted acknowledges in the body that Biden just "froze" that EO and that it is of very limited scope in the first place. And there are dozens more like it on the alt-right/Trumpy intergoogles.

I read your article.

First it says Biden's HHS killed it. Then the next paragraph says Biden froze it pending review and it could be implemented in March when the review period is over. 

Considering how many last minute bullshit things Trump tried to enact by EO, it would be nearly impossible to do a tailored EO that only freezes what you don't like/agree with.  Freeze them all, review them and let the ones that pass muster go through. 

[Bateshorn 9899]

1 minute ago, Js1 said:

I read your article.

First it says Biden's HHS killed it. Then the next paragraph says Biden froze it pending review and it could be implemented in March when the review period is over. 

Considering how many last minute bullshit things Trump tried to enact by EO, it would be nearly impossible to do a tailored EO that only freezes what you don't like/agree with.  Freeze them all, review them and let the ones that pass muster go through. 

And there is always a mini-freak out by partisans on the the other side "LoOk At ThIs GrEat IdEa RuInEd!!!!"  which fades within a week as the media cycle moves on.

[Mole 4320]

18 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I always enjoy the watch talk.  A watch any better than a Seiko is something I'm utterly uninterested in purchasing, but that's only because my phone tells me everything I need to know.  It's just not my thing.

I'm pretty sure most guys who happily drop $5K on a watch would look at me like I'm from Mars if I dropped $5K on a guitar.  Different strokes.  Joe Biden can wear whatever the hell he wants on his wrist.

Yeah, I don’t own a watch. I can’t really imagine a scenario in my current life where one would be useful. Owning one doesn’t interest me at all, but it’s fun to look into the world of something totally foreign to my mindset.

I have more money wrapped up in musical instruments than I’ve ever spent on cars in my lifetime. That’s partially a reflection on lots of instruments but more a reflection on my taste in old, cheap cars and short commutes.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Mole

[elfenix 34171]

28 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

keeping Andrew Jackson on fiat money is the most disgraceful thing you could do to his legacy.  He hated it. 

since he was one of the biggest monsters we've ever had as president then maybe he deserves it. 

[Bateshorn 9899]

Joe has good, if somewhat basic bitch, taste in luxury watches.  He doesn’t look like a Saudi prince or Russian mobster, but he’s also not going to pull an OHH AHHH from watch nerds either.

it’s entirely consistent with his personality.

[Dbeasy 14969]

51 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

This is correct.  Every Administration IMMEDIATELY freezes whatever the previous administration was working on, pending review. It's SOP. Trump did exactly the same thing, as did Obama, Bush, and Clinton.  People are nitpicking.  You don't just let something as big as a drug pricing rewrite go forward without looking under the hood.

Regarding the $20:  It's ironic, but keeping Andrew Jackson on fiat money is the most disgraceful thing you could do to his legacy.  He hated it.  Anyone who argues he should be honored by having his face on money is either ignorant or a disingenuous ass looking to pick a culture war fight.  Or both.

So if that is such a common practice a nice communication strategy stating that would have helped the administration quite a bit, instead.....

[Bateshorn 9899]

I’m sure the press office put out a paragraph that this was normal procedure.  And I’m sure the outraged right wing sites that are running this are choosing not to include it, or add it at the bottom of the article.

[Hank Scorpio 17723]

 

[Js1 85109]

19 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I’m sure the press office put out a paragraph that this was normal procedure.  And I’m sure the outraged right wing sites that are running this are choosing not to include it, or add it at the bottom of the article.

What we are learning was Trump didn't just bring out uninformed voters on the R side, but also voters on the D side who jump at every perceived thing as an outrage because something in government wasn't done in a way that makes sense to them personally or how they'd prefer it to be done. 

Psaki confirmed in her PC on day 1 that they gave out copies of the EOs to everyone in the briefing room with fact sheets for each EO for the dumb dumbs to report on.   

New York Times:

Quote

Finally, Mr. Biden issued a freeze on all new regulations put in motion by his predecessor to give his administration time to evaluate which ones it wants to move forward. The memorandum is aimed at preventing so-called midnight regulations, policies pushed through by a lame-duck president unconstrained by electoral considerations. The fast pace often cuts short the opportunity for the public or industry to review the policies.

Politico:

EXECUTIVE ORDER 17:

Freeze Trump’s “midnight regulations”

REVERSAL OF TRUMP ORDER

Biden signed an order that will freeze all Trump administration regulations currently in process, blocking them from taking effect while the new administration reviews them.

 

[Js1 85109]

1 minute ago, Hank Scorpio said:

 

Yes?

Every minimum wage increase has a phase-in period. Seattle passed their law in 2014 when the minimum wage of $9/hour and it just hit $15/hour on January 1. 

[bad_teammate 13132]

I am finding myself in full lib mode these days, I guess, because I see some of this stuff and think, "Yeah... that's how it works." and being annoyed at people I fundamentally agree with (progressives/leftists) be fully outraged when they learn something that's always been true.

I can only imagine how many furious Tweets would issue forth if Bernie had won and gotten his M4A bill passed when people "realized" that Sanders's M4A plan was a phase-in.

Primary and destroy all centrists and bad liberals in 2022/24, but in the meantime at least learn how stuff works.

[wildcat09 29243]

2 minutes ago, bad_teammate said:

I am finding myself in full lib mode these days, I guess, because I see some of this stuff and think, "Yeah... that's how it works." and being annoyed at people I fundamentally agree with (progressives/leftists) be fully outraged when they learn something that's always been true.

I can only imagine how many furious Tweets would issue forth if Bernie had won and gotten his M4A bill passed when people "realized" that Sanders's M4A plan was a phase-in.

Primary and destroy all centrists and bad liberals in 2022/24, but in the meantime at least learn how stuff works.

A bunch of it is just that young progressives are new to political engagement, but there's also a bit of a disconnect because "how stuff works" can be completely anodyne shit like pausing all last-minute executive orders or it can be actually dumb and bad centrist shit like allowing Mitch to continue vetoing every policy goal we have.

[Biff Tannen 45494]

12 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Yes?

Every minimum wage increase has a phase-in period. Seattle passed their law in 2014 when the minimum wage of $9/hour and it just hit $15/hour on January 1. 

But see, the Bernie Bros get upset when everything they want isn't done immediately.  They don't understand that the government doesn't work like a green lantern ring.

[FondrenRoad 4378]

21 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I always enjoy the watch talk.  A watch any better than a Seiko is something I'm utterly uninterested in purchasing, but that's only because my phone tells me everything I need to know.  It's just not my thing.

I'm pretty sure most guys who happily drop $5K on a watch would look at me like I'm from Mars if I dropped $5K on a guitar.  Different strokes.  Joe Biden can wear whatever the hell he wants on his wrist.

Unless he wears a burlap sack and drives an 85 Pinto, he can't possibly represent the people. 

[FondrenRoad 4378]

25 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

But see, the Bernie Bros get upset when everything they want isn't done immediately.  They don't understand that the government doesn't work like a green lantern ring.

Lately the problem is that the government doesn't work at all. It would be helpful if 40% of voters didn't vote for outright disfunction. It used to be a slow moving dinosaur, but now it's a dead dinosaur. 

[bad_teammate 13132]

29 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

the Bernie Bros

Never get over it. Take the grievances into  your grave with you.

Honestly I kind of respect the depth of the grudge and bitterness.

[Js1 85109]

Lmao. Fucking Doocy 

 

[hayden_horn 11360]

one thing i think needs direct fucking attention is the separated children at the border.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/25/biden-pledged-to-sign-executive-order-about-separated-migrant-children-on-day-one-he-still-hasnt/?sh=5193026c399b

Quote

“On his first day as president, Joe Biden will issue an Executive Order creating a federal task force to reunite these children with their parents,” read the advertisement, entitled “Separated,” which played in Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Nevada. 

It was not among the 17 orders, memorandums and proclamations signed by Biden in the hours after his Jan. 20 inauguration, and has not been signed or addressed in the days since. 

Assistant White House Press Secretary Vedant Patel would not comment specifically on why the order hasn’t been signed, but said there will be “additional immigration actions to share in the days ahead.”

CRUCIAL QUOTE 
“Their kids were ripped from their arms and separated, and now they cannot find over 500 sets of those parents and those kids are alone … It’s criminal,” Biden is heard saying in the advertisement, an audio clip from the second presidential debate when the two candidates sparred over which administration was responsible for the U.S.’ widely abhorred immigration actions. While the Obama administration did in 2014 build “cages” that the Trump administration used to hold children, they were then used to accommodate an exodus of unaccompanied immigrant children arriving from Central America. It wasn’t until the Trump administration that they were employed for child separation. 

KEY BACKGROUND 
An undoing of some of the Trump administration’s most notable immigration policies was a primary feature of Biden’s first day in office. The president signed orders strengthening Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA), a program protecting immigrants brought to the U.S. as children that Trump sought to destroy throughout his presidency, revoking a Trump administration plan to exclude non-citizens from the Census count, and ending a travel ban on several predominantly Muslim and African countries. Biden has also halted construction of Trump’s signature border wall with Mexico and announced a 100-day “pause” on most deportations. 

this needs to find its way on to his desk tout fucking suite

[Biff Tannen 45494]

5 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Lmao. Fucking Doocy 

 

This made me laugh.  Nice to see we have a human being in office.

[washparkhorn 9935]

50 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

But see, the Bernie Bros get upset when everything they want isn't done immediately. 

 

[washparkhorn 9935]

Pressure from the left helps move forward legislation and policy. 

. . . triangulation remains an effective tool in this center-right administration.  It tricks the Republican cabal into focusing on the Bernie-bogeyman and, therefore, gives room to Biden to move marginally progressive legislation and policy forward. 

Marginally progressive > Regressive

[Hank Kingsley 20698]

1 hour ago, bad_teammate said:

I am finding myself in full lib mode these days, I guess, because I see some of this stuff and think, "Yeah... that's how it works." and being annoyed at people I fundamentally agree with (progressives/leftists) be fully outraged when they learn something that's always been true.

I can only imagine how many furious Tweets would issue forth if Bernie had won and gotten his M4A bill passed when people "realized" that Sanders's M4A plan was a phase-in.

Primary and destroy all centrists and bad liberals in 2022/24, but in the meantime at least learn how stuff works.